Roommates And True Lovers
by Minka Tenth
Summary: Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry have a sister named Rosanne. Johnny and Dallas both have a crush on her. Once Rosanne chooses someone, it creates a lot drama and tension. One day, Rosanne goes on a walk, then goes missing. The gang tries to get along and go find her. Will they find her dead, or alive?
1. Chapter 1

Ponyboy's POV:

I wake up from a long night of sleep. The gang and myself went bowling last night so I crashed when we got home. Johnny and Dallas are alive still, and my hair is still brown. Sodapop, Darry, and myself have a sister named Rosanne. Rosanne is a mixture of Darry, Sodapop and myself, but looks a little bit more like Sodapop. Rosanne has dark blonde hair and Sodapop's eyes. I guess she gets the dark blonde hair from our mom. Man, I sure do miss mom and dad.

When I wake up from a long night of sleep, I notice that Sodapop wasn't in the room, nor Anne. I sometimes call Rosanne Anne, Rosa, or Rose. Almost everyone in the group calls her one of those nicknames, especially Johnny. Everyone knows that Johnny has a huge crush on her.  
I get up from my bed and go to the kitchen to make eggs or something. Everyone in the gang lives with us, which is sort of annoying because it's so cramped. Even though, Sodapop and Steve work a lot down at DX so they're never home. Darry has his jobs so he's not home often. It's usually me, Anne, Dally, Johnny, and Two-Bit at home.

I go inside my kitchen and grab a pan and some eggs. Two-Bit is watching Mickey Mouse, Anne is eating breakfast she made herself and Johnny is trying to sleep some more, but Two-Bit has Mickey Mouse on too loud. Nothing new.

"Mornin' Ponyboy," Anne said.

"Mornin'," I say back.  
Anne gets up from the breakfast table and puts her bowl in the sink. "Say Ponyboy, what are we doing today?"

"Not sure."  
Johnny gets up from the couch he was sleeping on and goes in the kitchen. He comes up from behind Anne and hugs her.  
"Good morning, Rose!" Johnny said.  
"Oh, good morning, Johnny," Anne said. She hugs Johnny. I think she likes Johnny, but I'm not too sure. I heard she has a little crush on Dallas.

Rosanne and Johnny leave the kitchen and go outside. Dallas walks inside the moment they walk outside.

"Hey Rosanne and Johnny," Dallas said.  
"Hi Dally," Anne said.  
"Sup Dallas," Johnny says.  
"Nothing," Dallas said. "Where you guys headin'."  
"Just for a little walk," Johnny said.  
"Oh, um, do you think that I could… possibly… uh, oh nevermind," Dallas said and walked inside.  
Anne and Johnny look at each other and shrug their shoulders and leave. I wonder what that was all about.

I wish Dallas was the person to open up to others. Whenever something bothers me, I have to tell someone about it, I don't see how Dallas can not talk to others about his problems. I guess that's just how he is.

Dallas sits down at the kitchen table where Anne sat. Dallas doesn't say a word he just sits there and zones out.  
"Um, Dally..?" I ask. "You alright?"  
Dallas zones back in. "Oh, um, what? Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm fine Ponyboy."  
Dallas leans his head back and puts his hands on his face.  
"Okay Dallas what's up," I say.  
I grab a plate and put my egg on it. I walk over to the table and sit next to Dallas. He's acting weird and I want to know what is up…

"There's nothing wrong Ponyboy, I'm fine," he said. "Believe me, would ya?"  
"I would, but I know for sure there's something up. Come on you can tell me, you can tell me anything, who would I tell?" I say.  
Dallas looks around. I hope he tells me what's on his mind.  
"There is NOTHING wrong Ponyboy! Alright!?" Dallas yelled and stormed outside.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Later

Two-Bit is outside doing God knows what, Steve and Sodapop are still working and Darry is still working. I am home alone. I still want to know what the heck is bothering Dallas.

Anne and Johnny walk inside the house laughing. Johnny held the door open for Anne. To be honest, Johnny and Anne would be cute together as a couple. I think Anne has a crush on Dallas though. Me imagining her and Dallas together kinda looks okay, though I'd prefer her to date Johnny. Of course I'm not gonna force her to date Johnny. I want her to date whoever she wants, though I feel like Johnny would treat her better and I feel that she'd be much safer with Johnny. Like I said, I'm not gonna tell her who she can and can't date. She can date whoever she wants.

"Hey, I'm gonna go take a quick shower Anne, I feel all sweaty from the hike," Johnny said.

"Alright," Anne said.

Johnny walks away to the bathroom to shower down. I thought they were going on a walk, not a hike…  
Anne sits down next to me on the couch. She leans her head back and tries to relax. I can tell she is in a great mood.  
"So, how was the hike?" I asked. "Though I thought you guys were just taking a simple little walk."  
Anne pokes up. "Oh yeah, well here's the thing… We were taking a little walk, until we saw the Socs drive by. They jumped out of their car and chased us around until we saw a hiking trail, we ran in there and we were able to lose them. Then, Johnny and I decided to walk the trail and talk. It was very nice."  
"Oh, wow," I say. "So, what do you think of Johnny?"  
Anne quickly turns her head my direction. "Oh, uh, what do you mean? I mean, Johnny's cool. Yeah. He's cool."  
"Cool? Just cool?" I ask. I want to know if she likes him.  
"Coming Darry!" Anne randomly says and gets up.  
"Darry is working right now," I say.  
"Hold on Darry!" Anne said and runs outside.  
Okay, I'm gonna assume she likes him…

Rosanne's POV:

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know! I don't know if I like Johnny or Dallas! They both treat me great, they both are very attractive. I don't know! I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

I am too shy to tell Ponyboy about how I feel about Johnny. I think he knows I like Dallas. And no, I will not date Johnny and Dallas at the same time. I am not a cheater. They'd end up finding out very soon and then all the drama will tear the gang apart. I really don't want that to happen. I'd feel awful!  
Should I tell Ponyboy how I feel about Johnny and or Dallas? I'm afraid if I do it now, Johnny will come out of the shower and overhear me. If I say anything about Dallas he'll hear me and get depressed because I know he likes me, and if I mention anything about me liking him, he'll overhear that and that'll be bad…  
Anyway I ran outside to avoid answering Ponyboy. Does it seem obvious that I like Johnny? I mean, I kinda did stutter earlier and just ran out. I think I made it obvious ahhg. I hope Ponyboy don't tell Johnny what happened!

I peek inside the house and see Johnny walk out of the bathroom with his clothes on. I know it is not the right time to go in, maybe I can watch and see if Ponyboy says anything to Johnny about me earlier.  
I see Ponyboy stand up and walk to Johnny. Ponyboy I swear if you say anything to Johnny I will shoot you or something. Yeah, one thing you should know about me is that I don't take crap from anyone and I'm not afraid to fight, though I don't go out looking for fights. I'm usually a laid back chill person, just until you mess with me or someone I care for.

Johnny's POV:

I come out of the shower and put my clothes on. I will say I had an amazing time on the hike with Rose. We didn't plan the hike, we planned a little walk around the block, but hey I'm actually kinda glad the Socs came after us. Well, I don't like the fact they tried to kill Rose and I and then chased us, but if they didn't I wouldn't have taken the hike with Rose.  
Yes I like Rose. A lot. I am so unsure if she likes me back though. I heard around that she likes Dally but yet again she hasn't said it out of her mouth so I won't believe it until she tells me or when I see something. I think that Rose is absolutely gorgeous, I would treat her perfectly with respect, treat her like a queen like she deserves.

I walk out of the bathroom and walk to Ponyboy and Sodapop's room to grab something, but before I get there, I was stopped by Ponyboy.  
"What's up Ponyboy?" I ask.  
"Hey Johnny, what do you think about Anne?" Ponyboy asked me.

What do I think about Rose? What do I think?! I'm too nervous to tell him.. I'm sure he already knows.  
I start to laugh nervously. "W-What do you m-mean? Um, what do you think about her?" Okay, that was stupid of me to ask… I'm being very obvious that I like Rose, but how could you not?  
"Um, she's my sister so I love her. She's a fun person, loveable- what am I talking about? I'm asking you what you think of her. This is about you, not me, " Ponyboy said.  
"Uh, um. What do you think about how I think about her?" I ask. I bet my face is velvet red.

"I think you like her," Ponyboy said. I look down. "Johnny, come on. You're stuttering, you won't answer any of the questions, you get happier when she's around, you act nervous around her, and this morning you hugged her from behind. Not to mention, your face is as red as a rose."  
My eyes got huge the moment he said " _your face is as red as a rose_." I do like her. I mean, I guess I can tell Ponyboy that I like her, I mean she isn't around, no one is around.  
"You're right, Ponyboy," I say.  
"You like her?" he asks.

"Yeah…," I say and look back down.

"There's nothing wrong with liking her, trust me Johnny. I actually think you two would be adorable together. Just as long as you don't hurt her, things will be good. I say go for it, just not yet. We need to make sure she likes you, though I'm sure she does," Ponyboy said.  
"You really think we'd look good together?" I ask.

"No doubt about it," Ponyboy said.

I couldn't help but smile. Of course I'm not gonna pressure her into liking me. I would be very depressed if she didn't like me back though.  
"Okay Ponyboy, " I say. "I will try to see if Rose likes me. I think Rose is very beautiful."

Right when I say that, Dally comes out of nowhere and pins me to the wall. "Stay away from Rosanne, or I will slowly kill you right here and I'm not afraid too…"


	2. Chapter 2

Johnny's POV:

When Dally pinned me up on the wall and told me to stay away from Rose or he'll kill me, I was scared to death. I am now waiting for him to grab a pocket knife or a gun or something to kill me.

While on the wall, I was screaming no repeatedly. I do not want to die this young, man! I know I could have died in the fire with the kids, but I was somehow lucky and survived that.  
Dallas pulls out his pocket knife and slowly puts it up to my face. I keep trying to kick and punch Dallas to get away from this. I close my eyes and just wait to die. I hope you're happy Dallas… You get to have my dream girl… You better treat her well.  
With my eyes closed, I hear a few people bust through the door. Someone grabs Dally and I jump down from the wall. I open my eyes to see Two-Bit, Steve, and Sodapop.  
I get up and run out the back door away from everything. I am scared to death right now and so happy to be alive. I have to tell Rose how I feel about her before Dallas does. I sure hope Dallas doesn't make up lies about me and then Rose believing him.

Ponyboy's POV:

I seriously have no idea where Dal came from. One thing I know, I was talking to Johnny about Anne, and then the next the next thing I knew, Johnny was pinned up to the wall about to get killed. Luckily Sodapop, Steve, and Two-Bit come in right in time. Two-Bit grabbed Dally and pinned him down to the ground.  
I wonder why Dallas randomly came in and did that… Everyone knows that Johnny is the only thing Dallas cares for, so why would he try to kill him?  
"What has gotten into you, Dallas?" Sodapop asked.  
"Why did you try to kill Johnny?" Two-Bit asked.  
Dallas refused to answer. I see him looking around with his face slowly turning red.  
Okay, Dallas's face turning red, he's stuttering a lot around Anne, and he threaten to kill Johnny when he mentioned that Anne is very beautiful, does that mean he…  
"Are ya gonna answer one of us?" Steve asked.  
I walk over to Sodapop, Two-Bit, and Steve. Dallas is still on the floor while Two-Bit is on top of him with his hands on Dallas's arms making sure he can't leave. Sodapop has Dallas's legs down too.  
"Why did you almost kill Johnny?" I ask. "I thought he's the only thing you cared about."  
Dallas stops struggling to get away and he goes frozen. His face is bright red.  
"If I tell you why, will you promise not to tell anyone? Especially Johnny and Rosanne!" Dallas said.  
"Sure," I say.  
"Okay…," Dallas said. "First of all, will you two get off of me?!"

Two-Bit gets off of him and Sodapop stands up. Dallas stands up and runs toward the door but Steve grabbed him and put his arm over his head. "You ain't leaving until you tell us why!"  
Dallas lets out a frustrated moan. "Okay, you must not tell anyone but... ," Dallas said until his voice faded. Steve let go of him. "Okay, I was outside and I heard Johnny tell Ponyboy that Rosanne is beautiful, and I don't know why but.. It just made me mad. So mad. Well, I know why it made me mad… But…" Dallas looked down.

"I guess you can say that… I love her." 


	3. Chapter 3

Dallas's POV:

Yes, I admit it. I love Rosanne. I really want her, except I know Johnny loves her, and I care about Johnny. Ugh, why does she have to live in the same place I do? Seeing her beautiful face every single day…  
If Rosanne and I were to date, I'm afraid I'll end up losing my cool and going off on her, or even worse, smacking her or pulling a knife out on her. If I hurt her, Johnny, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy would kill me for sure. I don't know what to do!

"You love, Anne?" Ponyboy asked me.  
"Well, that explains everything," Sodapop says.  
I look down with my face red as blood. I know that Rosanne is the only girl I truly actually care about.

I look up. "Well, yeah. But here's the thing. I know that Johnny is madly in love with her, and I care for Johnny and want him happy. If I swipe in and take Rosanne away from him, not only will he be furious with me, he'll be depressed and I don't want him to be depressed again."  
I never open up in front of people so for me to be saying all this to Ponyboy, Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit, it feels weird. I hope Steve, Two-Bit, or anyone else don't go and tell Johnny and or Rosanne...  
"Well, I think that Rosanne likes Johnny, Dally," Sodapop says.  
"Welllll, I've heard that she has a tiny crush on Dally," Two-Bit mentions.  
"Do you think I should go tell her how I feel?" I ask.

I'm not nervous to tell her, I just want to know when the time would be right. Maybe if Rosanne and I hang out more I can tell her.  
"I would tell her soon, but not just yet," Ponyboy says.

I am gonna make a day where her and I can walk around Tulsa, and at the end of the night we can be watching the stars and then I can tell her.

Johnny's POV:

I gotta find Rose! I know for a fact Dallas likes Rose now. Before, I had a tiny feeling he did and I wasn't sure, but the way he almost killed me because I said that Rose is beautiful just showed me that he likes her.

I've been looking around outside for Rose and I can't find her. I know she isn't inside the house. Who knows where she is at. Maybe she's at the lot. I guess I could check there. That would be a nice place to tell her I love her.

While walking to the lot, I think of ways to tell her I like her. I don't even know where to start to tell her. Maybe I could say ' _Rose, you are absolutely beautiful. You make me the happiest guy alive. I love you.'_ I don't know. I'll think of something when I see her, if I ever find her.

I arrive at the lot and I was right, Rose is sitting at the fountain looking up at the bright blue sky. Her back is facing me though, which is good, I want to surprise her.

I quietly look around the lot and look for any flowers or anything I could give her right now. I see a little patch full of purple tulips. I pick out a nice and fresh looking tulip and hide it in my jean jacket.  
I quietly walk over to her. I sit down next to her and put my arm around her. "Hey there."  
She looked over at me with a bright smile. "Hey Johnny!"  
I'm gonna wait a little bit before I give her the tulip. "So Rose, what are you doing here?"

"I left the house shortly after you came out of the shower. I needed to get out too, maybe get some fresh air," Rose said. "It's really nice out here."  
"Yeah I agree," I say. "I had to get out of the house too. Dallas about killed me back there."  
Rose's eyes get big. "What do you mean?"  
"I was talking to Ponyboy about something, and then Dallas heard me and came out of nowhere and pinned me against the wall. He pulled out a knife and almost killed me, until Sodapop, Steve, and Two-Bit came inside and pulled him away from me," I say.  
"What a jerk!" Rose said. She looks angry. "What were you talking about to make him almost kill you?"  
My face turns red as I use my free hand to grab the purple tulip. I think this is the perfect time to tell her I love her. Ah man, I am shaking badly.

"I- I want you t-to have this," I say in a shaky voice and hand her the tulip.  
Her beautiful eyes get big when I show her the tulip. She smiles so big. "Awe, Johnny. This is beautiful!"  
"Yeah, beautiful… Just like you," I say. I know my face is velvet red.  
She looks into my eyes. "B-Beautiful?"  
"Yeah," I say. I stare right into her eyes. "Rosanne, you are absolutely beautiful. Any guy would be very lucky to have you, I know I would be very happy and lucky if I had you. You're gorgeous, fun to be with, not afraid to stand up for yourself and the gang, and you're just perfect. Now I know you might not like me back, but I just wanted to let you know that, I love you. If you are unsure how you feel about me, that is perfectly fine. I want you to take your time and figure out how you feel about me, no rushes."  
Rose looks down with a huge smile and a red face. "Do you really mean everything you just said?"

"Yes I do mean it," I said. "Everything I said is true."  
Rose gives me a tight hug. "Johnny.."

"Yes?"

Rose lets go of me and takes a deep breath. "Johnny… I don't know how to say this.."

"Go ahead and take your time, you're worth waiting for. Time stands still when I'm with you."  
Rose has her head down and she looks more sad now. This can't be good.


	4. Chapter 4

Rosanne's POV:

Johnny finally admitted it. He is so sweet. He gave me such a beautiful tulip. Johnny must really love me.  
What erks me badly is how Dallas about killed him. I'm assuming that Dallas heard Johnny talk to Ponnyboy about me? Because I asked Johnny what he talked about with Ponyboy, and then he gave me the tulip and admitted his feelings.

I know I like Johnny and Dallas, but right now I like Johnny more. It makes so mad how Dallas tried to kill Johnny!

I know if I date Dallas, it probably wouldn't work out. Dallas likes to go out and break the laws, while me on the other hand don't. I know if I was mad, Dallas would just keep teasing me a lot until I want to kill him. I feel like he'd end up changing me and then I'll end up breaking laws, and then Darry would kill me for breaking laws. I also know that Dallas smokes, while I don't. I don't ever want to pick up a cigarette. Johnny stopped smoking because of me. Also, Dallas can't drive at all! I remember he was driving me to the market and he about got in 3 wrecks on the way there, I wouldn't feel safe. Also, with his anger problems, what if he loses his cool and hurts me?

I do though feel like if Dallas and I were together, I feel like he'd protect me a lot. I feel like he'd kill someone if they come near me, threaten me, or hurt me. I'm not sure.  
With Johnny though, I know our relationship would work. I know Johnny would be here for me. I know Johnny would comfort me if I'm not okay. I know that Johnny would treat me great, and I would do the same. I know him and I would cuddle a lot and he would make me special. I would make him happy. I can't think of anything bad about dating Johnny.  
I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship though. I don't know how to tell Johnny… I just need time to think.  
I have my head down and I feel a little upset and try not to get teary. I don't want Johnny to be sad.  
Johnny puts his hands on top of mine. "Are you okay? If you are unsure yet, it's fine. I won't be upset, trust me. I want you to take your time and figure it out."  
I look up at him and lock my eyes into his. "Johnny.. I.. I…" I look back down. "Johnny. I just need time to think."  
Johnny leans his head down to look at me. "Hey, it's okay. I'm glad you told me the truth. I will give you time to think. I want you to be sure on what you think."  
I look at Johnny in the eyes. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes," Johnny said. "Do you want me to leave so you can think about it?"  
"No, you can stay here," I say. I stand up.

Johnny stands up. "Okay Rose. Is there anything you want to do?"  
I look around. I want to spend more time with Johnny but yet I really need to think things through.

Just then, we see a nice car drive by. This can't be good. I hope these aren't the Socs or anything.

Just then, we see Bob and Randy come out of the car and they walk towards us. Those two really don't want to leave Johnny and I alone. I already know Johnny is terrified.  
"Well, well, well, we finally found you guys again," Bob says to us.  
"You thought you could escape from us," Randy says. Randy grabs a knife from his pocket. "Who's first? Rosanne maybe? I mean, it is ladies first."  
My heart dropped. I wish I had a pocket knife or something like how Johnny does. I'm scared to death right now.  
Johnny and I run away from Bob and Randy. I swear if Johnny gets killed by Randy and or Bob I wouldn't know how to live properly.

I will protect Johnny, no matter what it takes.

Johnny's POV:

Rose and I are running away from Bob and Randy. They scare me more than anything on this planet but I will protect Rose no matter what happens.  
While running, Bob and Randy manage to push me face down to the ground. Then I heard Rose screaming for help. I force myself up and go to her. I grab out my pocket knife; prepared to kill anyone.

Rose keeps dodging the punches. I quietly run over to Bob and kick him down to the ground and grab Randy by his neck and shoved him down. I grab Rose and we dart out of the lot. They will not hurt Rose. No one will hurt her.

I close up my pocket knife and put it away. "You okay, Rose?"  
"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for helping me out back there."  
"I had no problem," I say. "No one will ever hurt you."  
Rose smiled and then she hugged me. When she hugged me, she put her head on shoulder. "I feel safe with you Johnny."  
"That's good," I say. "I feel safe with you and I want you safe too."  
Rose and I hug each other tightly for a long time. Rose looks up at me. "I love you Johnny."


	5. Chapter 5

Johnny's POV:

Did she just… Did she just say that she loves me?! Am I dreaming? The girl of my dreams saying she loves me!? I think I'm going to faint...

I put my arm around her and we walk home together.  
It is now nighttime and the stars are shining bright and the moon is full. Rose and I look up at the sky while walking. The reflection of the moon and stars on her face is just absolutely gorgeous. I really want to give her a kiss but I'm afraid she won't be okay with it. I know she just said I love you, but she may not be ready for the kiss just yet.  
"Beautiful night," Rose said.  
"Very beautiful," I say. "But not as beautiful as you."  
I see Rose look down and smile. "Thanks Johnny."  
"No need to thank me for telling you the truth."  
Rose and I finally get home. I take my arm off of her and I open the door for Rose. She says thanks and we go inside. I wonder where Dallas is right now. I wonder if he calmed down or not? I wonder if he still wants to kill me? I sure hope not.

We walk inside and we saw Darry inside the house sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. "Hey Rosanne and Johnny."  
"Sup," I say.  
"Hi Darry," Rose said.  
I sit down and yawn loudly. I am very tired, but I want to stay up and talk to Rose. "Man I'm tired."  
"You can go to sleep if you want to Johnny," Rose said.  
"Alright... Good night," I say.

I get up and hug Rose goodnight and I walk to my Ponyboy and Sodapop's room to sleep in Pony's bed. I hope to have a nice dream tonight.

Rosanne's POV:

I hug Johnny good night and let him go. I'm actually kind of glad he went to sleep now because I want to talk to Darry about my feelings for Johnny and Dallas, see what he thinks.

I don't know why, but I've always been open with Darry, besides Ponyboy, I can trust him and share how I feel, and tell him things on my mind.  
I sit next to Darry and lean my head on his shoulder and sigh.  
Darry puts his newspaper down. "What's up, Rosanne?"  
I lift up my head up from his shoulder. "I'm so confused."  
"On what?" Darry asked.

"Well, you know how Johnny likes me, right?" I say.

"Everyone does," Darry said.

"Yeah, well he admitted his feelings for me earlier today," I say. "I like him a lot too, but I kinda have a little crush on Dallas too."

"Did you just say... Dallas?" Darry asked. He gave me a confused look.  
"Yeah, I know," I say. "They both treat me good, but Dallas did something that makes me kinda, mad at him."  
"What did he do?" Darry asked. "Did he do something to you?"  
"No," I say. "He.. pulled a knife out and almost killed Johnny."  
Darry jumped up from the couch. "He did what?! Oh, he's lucky he isn't home or I'd be giving him a piece of my mind!"

Darry forms a fist. I get up and undo the fist. "As much as Dallas deserves it, please don't hurt him. I don't want anymore drama and fights."  
"Sorry Rosanne," Darry says. "I care for Johnny like he's my younger brother and I want him safe too."  
"I understand," I say.  
"If I were you, I would chose Johnny," Darry says. "Johnny would treat you so much better and if Johnny were to get angry, he wouldn't take it out on you. I know Dallas would end up smacking you or something and he will not lay a single hand on you, he'd be stupid to lay a hand on you. You act more like Johnny than you do Dallas. I know Dallas would make you mad and stressed out all the time, while Johnny wouldn't."  
"That's true," I say. "Thanks Darry. I just need time to think about this now."  
"Yeah, don't rush yourself into this, trust me," Darry says.  
"I trust you," I say.

I hug Darry and tell him thanks for helping me out. He says it's no problem.

Just then, we see Dallas walk in with a heart shaped box and a beautiful rose. I let go of Darry and Dallas walks up to me.  
"Hey Rosanne," Dallas says.  
"Um, hi…," I say.

"I got you something Rosanne," Dallas said and handed me the heart shaped box and the rose.

I open the box and see diamond earrings. I'm not gonna lie, these earrings are very pretty. Did Dally steal these? These look very nice.

"Oh, wow Dallas," I say. "Where did you get these at? They're… very pretty."

"I've been saving up for them, just for you," Dallas said right into my eyes. Awh, man…  
"You have?" I asked.  
"Yes Rosanne, or, can I call you Rosa?" Dallas said.

"It don't matter," I say.  
"Why don't you put the earrings in, I bet you'd look beautiful in them," Dallas said.  
The way he said _I bet you'd look beautiful in them_ made my heart skip a beat. Come on Rosanne, you like Johnny… Don't fall for Dallas. Johnny would treat you so much better...

I go to a mirror and put the earrings in. I see Darry in the back of the mirror watching every little thing Dallas does.

"See, I was right. Beautiful," Dallas said.  
I look down with my face slowly turning red. "Thank you."  
"You're very welcome," Dallas said. "Now, I do have a question though."  
"What is it?" I ask.

Dallas walks over to me and puts his hand on the wall with me underneath it. "Would you want to walk around town with me tomorrow and then maybe see a movie?"


	6. Chapter 6

Rosanne's POV:

Did Dallas just ask me out on a date? Oh my gosh! Do I say yes? Do I say no? I kind of want to say yes just so I can get to know Dallas more before I make my final decision.  
I'm very afraid to say yes though. I'm afraid that Johnny will get the wrong message and be sad. I feel like Darry will get mad at me. I kind of want to say yes, but can it just be a friendly date? Like, just hanging out just as friends, not an actual date?  
Well, I'm sure that Dallas likes me, because he bought me a heart shaped box with beautiful earrings in them, he got me a rose, and he keep calling me beautiful. Not to mention, he about killed Johnny because he said I am beautiful.  
I'm afraid to say no because I don't want Dally's feelings hurt, or he'll get mad and make me go, or he'll smack me. Man, I need to think about this one too! Ahg, what should I do?!  
"So, what do you say?" Dallas asked me in a sweet smooth voice.  
I look around. I look at Darry and he's giving me a look, the look is telling me that I should say no, but I want to get to know Dallas more.

"I'm not sure, Dallas," I say nervously. "Can I let you know in the morning?"  
Dallas leans up and takes his hand off the wall. His flirty look he had went away. He looked rather sad. "That's fine, Rosanne." Dallas walked away.  
I watched Dallas walk away into the bathroom or something. I feel really bad now…

Dallas's POV:

 _I'm not sure Dallas, can I let you know in the morning?_ For real? I thought the earrings I saved up for her would have made her say yes. Ugh. Hopefully she makes up her mind soon and says yes.

I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I go up to the mirror and just look at myself in the mirror. Please Rosanne, please say yes. You're beautiful, and smoking hot. I would change just to be with you.

While looking in the mirror thinking, I hear Darry speak up to Rosanne.

"You alright Rosanne?" Darry asked.

"No, not really," Rosanne said. She sounds very upset.

"What's wrong?" Darry asked her.  
"I feel bad," Rosanne said. "I want to go out tomorrow and hang out with Dallas, but I'm afraid that Johnny will get the wrong message and be sad. I want to get to know Dallas a little bit more before I make my final decision."  
Final decision? Did Johnny admit his feelings for her? Does she like him? Does she like me? Both?

"Can him and I just hang out as friends?" Rosanne asked. "That's what Johnny and I are doing, just hanging out as friends. I just don't want Johnny to think I chose Dallas over him. I'm still unsure."  
"Remember what I said earlier Rosanne?" Darry asked. "I'd rather you chose Johnny because I know that you'd be happier and I know that Johnny would treat you much better than he would."  
Oh, I wish I didn't hear Darry say that… Oh, how I really wish I didn't hear that. Maybe he is right. Maybe Rosanne is better off with Johnny instead of me. Though I did say I would change just for her and I would, but it would be hard.  
"Just as friends?" Rosanne asked. "Just to get to know him better?"  
"I don't know Rosanne, it's your life. Do what you want," Darry said. "Though, you and Johnny would be better together in so many ways."  
"Just as friends though," Rosanne said.  
I walk out of the bathroom slowly. I slowly walk passed Darry and Rosanne and act like I heard nothing.  
"Hey Dally!" Rosanne called and walked to me.  
"Hey what's up," I say casually.

"So… What time were you thinking we could hang out?" asked Rosanne.  
"I don't know," I say. "Sometime after noon for sure because I don't even wake up until like 2 p.m."

"Okay Dal, we could leave at like 5, if that's fine?" Rosanne said.  
"That's perfect," I say and walk away.  
Yes! I got a date with Rosanne. I know she says "as friends" but still I finally get to hang out with her. I better not screw things up tomorrow.

Darry's POV:

Are you serious Rosanne!? You know you're gonna waste time tomorrow- you like Johnny Cade! You and Johnny are meant to be together! You and Johnny act so much alike and he is madly in love with you. You better chose to be with Johnny after this "date" tomorrow. I just want the best for you, Rosanne.

Dallas walks away from Rosanne. I saw a smile grow on Rosanne.  
"Why don't you ever listen to me, Rosanne?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You said it's your life, do what you want. So I'm doing what I want. Dallas and I are just friends right now. I just didn't want to hurt Dally's feelings."

"I know you're making a huge mistake," I say.  
"I know he isn't gonna kill me or anything!" Rosanne raised her voice. "He saved up money to buy me these earrings and the rose!"  
I grab the rose with my hand and feel it. "Rosanne, this is fake! A guy who truly loves you would buy you or pick out a real one! I know Johnny would get you a real one, if he hasn't already."  
I see Rosanne pull out a purple tulip out of her jean jacket and go to the kitchen. "Rosanne, what's that and where are you going?"

"Calm down, I'm just going into the kitchen to put this tulip in a vase of water," Rosanne said.  
"Where did you get the tulip from?" I ask.

"Johnny," Rosanne said.  
I walk over to the tulip and feel it. Johnny got her a real tulip. This is proof number one that Johnny would treat her better.  
"Dallas got you a fake rose, Johnny got you a real tulip," I say. "This is proof right here! This shows Johnny will treat you so much better than Dallas will!"  
Rosanne puts the tulip in the vase and then she slams her hands down on the counter. "YOU ALWAYS GET ON ME DARRY! LET ME MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS AND BE HAPPY FOR ME!" Rosanne shoves me out of the way and stomps away.

"What the heck is wrong with you kiddo?" I ask with my arms open.


	7. Chapter 7

Johnny's POV:

I wake up bright and early in the morning. I sit up, stretch, and go to the kitchen. I see that Rose put the purple tulip in a vase. Everytime I look at that tulip, I see beauty, just like Rose.

I look around and see that Ponyboy is awake too. He is eating his breakfast. Sodapop, Steve, and Darry left for work already. Two-Bit, Dally, and Rose are still sleeping. I wonder if I should make breakfast for Rose.

"Mornin' Johnny," Ponyboy calls from the other room.

"Morning," I say.

I look around in the kitchen for something I can make for myself and Rose. I am still scared of Dallas right now. What if he comes up from behind me and stabs me or something. What if he's still mad at me? I sure hope not.

Ponyboy gets up and cleans up his dishes. "Hey Johnny, did you hear Rose and Darry arguing last night?"  
"They argued? About what? Is Rose okay?" I ask. I start to panic. I hope Darry didn't hit Rose like he did to Ponyboy back then.

"I'm not sure," Ponyboy says. "All I remember is that I woke up hearing a loud bang, like someone hit the counter or something and then Rose screaming about how Darry always gets on her."  
"A LOUD BANG?!" I say loudly.

I shut the fridge fast run out of the kitchen fast. I hope Rose is okay!  
I see Dallas walk out of his room and into the room Rose is sleeping in. I slowly poke my head in there to see what he's doing. Also, Dallas being up before noon, what?

Dallas walks over to Rose.  
"Good morning, beautiful," Dallas said.  
My heart dropped. Did he just call her beautiful? Did Rose chose Dallas over me? I think I feel tears forming…  
Rose leans up from her bed. "Oh, hi Dallas. Up before noon huh? What for?"

"Our date," Dallas said.

I grab my heart. Did he just say, date?

"It's not a date," Rose said. "We're just hanging out as friends. How many times do I have to tell you that?"  
"Sure whatever," Dallas said. "Want me to pick out your outfit?"  
"I'm perfectly capable to pick out my own outfit, Dally," Rose said. "Now, not trying to sound rude but can you please leave so I can go back to sleep, or perhaps get ready?"

"Yeah," Dallas said. "I'll be out, be back around 5 for the date."

"It's not a date!" Rose exclaimed.  
When Dallas turned around and started to walk out, I jumped back into another room so he couldn't see me. I am so confused right now! Are they dating? I'm sure Rose wouldn't hide this from me. I'm gonna go talk to her.

After Dallas is out of my sight, I walk to Rose's room and knock on her door. She turns around and smiles big. "Hi Johnny, come on in!"

I walk in and sit on the bed with her. "Hey Rose, good morning."

"Good morning," she says and hugs me.

I hug her back. "Hey, I have a question." I let go of her.

"Yes?"

"What does Dallas mean by, your date?" I ask. "And he woke you up by saying good morning beautiful. Are you guys dating?"

"No Johnny we're not dating," I say. Whew… "And we are hanging out today at 5. Just as friends, trust me. I'm still thinking about everything."

"Oh, okay," I say. I look down. Maybe her and I can go on a "date" before she leaves and hangs out with Dal. "Well, um, oh nevermind."

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," I say and chuckle nervously.

"You can tell me anything, trust me," Rose said.

"Oh, um… Well, you- I was wondering if you'd want to… want to go on a 'date', like hang out with you like how you are with Dal?"

Rose smiles. "Why not?"

I smile big. "Okay So in about an hour we can hang out?"

"Sure Johnny," Rose said.

"Perfect," I say with a smile. "I'll see you then."

I stand up and hug Rose and then I leave her room. I get to hang out with Rose before she leaves with Dallas!

An Hour Later

I put my jean jacket on and I am officially ready for our little hang out. I see Rose come out and she is all dressed up. I walk over to her.

"You look very, beautiful," I say.  
She smiles big. "Thank you Johnny."

"Ready?" I ask and hold out my arm in a lock form so we can lock arms.  
"Yes I am," Rose says.

Her and I lock arms and we walk outside to the back. I have a blanket set up and I have a picnic basket on top of the blanket. I have the purple tulip and the vase on top of the blanket.  
"Oh, Johnny!" Rose exclaimed. "This picnic set up is absolutely beautiful and perfect."  
I hug Rose closely. "Beautiful and perfect, just like you. It's all just for you. I want you to be happy."  
Rose smiled huge. "I am very happy. Thank you Johnny."

"You're welcome, Rose," I say.  
Rose and I sit down. I open up the basket and lay everything out. We start to eat.  
"Mmhm, this food taste amazing!" Rose said. "Did you make all this yourself?"

"Yes I did, Rose," I say.  
Rose looks at me right in the eyes. "You know Johnny, you have very pretty eyes."

My face turns red. "I have pretty eyes? Thank you. Your eyes are very pretty as well."

We quickly finish eating and it's noon. Rose and I have about 5 hours left before Dallas comes back. Awesome. I wonder what else Rose and I can do…

I clean up everything and run it all back inside. I wish I had something else I could give her right now, like another flower or something more.

I look over on the kitchen table and notice a fake rose and a heart shaped box. I look in the box and see diamond earrings. Did Dallas give these to Rose to lure her in for a date? I know Rose said it wasn't a date, and that they're just friends. Plus, Rose wouldn't lie to me about this. I want to talk to her about it, but I don't want to ruin this whole "date" hang out thing by asking her about it. Well, I guess I can ask her about it later on tonight or this week.

I hurry up cleaning up so I can go out and be with her. I'm not gonna let the fake rose, heart shaped box, and diamond earrings bother me. Heck, it might not even be from Dallas to Rose. But, Ponyboy isn't crushing on anyone he's too shy. Darry is too busy for love, same with Steve and Sodapop. Two-Bit isn't looking to be in a relationship. So it leaves Dallas and myself. I didn't buy it so it is Dallas! Ahg! He probably stole the earrings or stole money to buy them. Oh, what should

I do?

I finish cleaning up and walk over to the heart shaped box. No name or anything. I know it's from Dallas though.

I walk outside with my head to the ground. It's actually bothering me. I'm not mad or upset at Rose, I'm mad and upset with Dallas. He can go out and basically get any girl he wants, he would be crushing on my dream girl. Why can't he stop chasing her and let me be happy? Let something good happen in my life for once? I know Dallas wouldn't even love her and treat her as good as I would…

I walk over to Rose and look up at her face. She smiles at me. "Hey Johnny, you okay?" Oh no, she knows. How does she know? Am I being obvious that something is bothering me? Oh no.

Should I tell her? I don't want to hide things from her- because I trust her. I don't wanna tell her in case it ruins this "date" hang out and I end up ruining my chances with Rose. Okay, I'll tell her. I'm not hiding anything from her.

"Well, yes and no," I say.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" she asked.

I look down and sit on the ground.

Rose sits down next to me and puts her arm around me. "Please tell me. You can tell me anything, you don't need to hide things from me, trust me."

I look over at her. "I know, I trust you. It's just, I saw the fake rose, the heart shaped box, and the earrings and it kinda, I don't know. Makes me…"

"Jealous?" Rose asked me.

My eyes get huge. I really hope I'm not messing everything up. "Um, well… Yeah.."

"I understand," Rose said. "Dallas bought me those things. I know he just bought them to make me say yes for today. Hey, you're not mad at me for hanging out with him, right?"

"I'm not mad," I say. "As long as you guys don't like, kiss or anything-."

I quietly had to shut up. I don't want to sound controlling or anything. And I'm not mad at her for hanging out with Dallas. I know they're not dating so I don't need to worry about anything.

"Dallas and I are not dating," Rose says. "Were just friends. I'm still just trying to figure out things, and still unsure if I'm ready to date anyone. Don't worry, and if he tries to kiss me or anything I will make sure to put an end to it before it stops."

What she just said lightened up my mood a lot. "Really?"

"Yeah," Rose said.

I look up at her and smile. She smiles back at me and we stare at each other in the eyes. Man, her eyes are just beautiful.  
Next thing I know, Rose and I lean into each other. Before I knew it, her lips were locking mine.


	8. Chapter 8

Rosanne's POV:

Oh my gosh! I'm kissing Johnny! I didn't mean to kiss him. I hope he isn't mad at me. The timing felt right to me. But, his lips are very soft, and it felt nice to kiss him. Does this mean I like Johnny more than Dallas? Should I cancel with Dallas? No, no, no I shouldn't. I need to get to know Dallas more before I make my final decision.  
I unlock my lips from Johnny. When I lean back, he looks right at me with a huge smile. "Rose, that was my first kiss."

To be honest, that was my true first kiss too. It felt very nice.

"Really?" I ask. "How is that? You're so adorable with those puppy eyes and all."  
"Never got the chance to go out and find anyone," Johnny said. "Which I'm glad, because my heart wants you and only you."  
I look down and smile. I don't even know what to say back. I know I kissed him and said that I loved him, but we're not dating yet so I shouldn't say anything about my heart wanting him. Though, I think it does.

Ponyboy comes outside from the back door. "Hey guys."

"What's up Ponyboy?" I say.  
"Hey, Dallas is here for you," Ponyboy said.  
"Is it 5 already?" I ask. I see Johnny look down and rather sad than happy.

"No, he said he wants to hang out with you earlier today because there is gonna be a huge fight downtown at 6:30 and he wants to be part of it," Ponyboy said. I see Johnny roll his eyes.

"Oh, okay," I say and stand up.

Johnny stands up and we walk to Ponyboy. "Say, what are you two doing out here alone anyway?"  
"Just hanging out and had a very great time," I say and wink at Johnny. I see him smile.

"Alright," Ponyboy said.  
I walk inside and go to Dallas. He was near the door looking down. He was in his normal leather jacket and his jeans. I wonder if he is nervous about this?

I go up to Dallas. "Hi."

"Hey Rosanne," Dallas said. "I'm sorry I had to change the time earlier than normal, I hope you weren't doing anything."

It's still weird hearing Dallas talk nice to me. I'm used to him being mean and have a potty mouth, not being sweet. But of course he's only nice to me.  
"You're fine Dally," I say.  
"Ready?" he asked.

"Sure," I say.

I open up the door and hold it open for Dallas. He follows me until we get to the end of the driveway. "So Dallas, where are we going?"

"I thought we were gonna walk around town," Dallas said.

I kinda don't want to but I guess I'll say yes so Dallas doesn't get mad.

"Oh yeah," I say. "We can do that."

Alright. Here goes nothing.

Dallas's POV:

Finally time to go out with Rosanne. I couldn't wait any longer to go out. I'm just glad that a friend of mine mentioned that fight downtown. I hope Rosanne wasn't busy with anything. She don't seem mad though.

During this walk, I want to get to know her a little bit more and hopefully convince her to date me. Her and I would be perfect together. We'd be the hottest couple in town. She may act more like Johnny than myself, but eventually she'll be acting more like me.

I truly do care for Rosanne. It may seem that I don't truly care, or that I'm gonna use her but I'm not. I've been trying my hardest to be nicer to her and not get as angry. I don't want her to be afraid of me, and I don't want her to just say yes to things I suggest so she doesn't make me mad. I want her happy too.

"So, who's all fighting tonight?" asked Rosanne.

"Some gang," I say. "I don't know too much about it. All I know is that it's gonna be huge and a friend of mine is gonna be in it."

"Are you gonna be in it?" she asked.

"Probably," I say.

"You're gonna get hurt though!" Rose exclaimed.

"Come on Rosy," I say and mess up her hair a little bit. "I'm Dallas Winston. I've been in so many fights in my life and I'm still alive and running around. This fight won't hurt me."

Rosanne chuckles a little bit. "Alrighty then Mr. Tough guy." She's so cute sometimes.

I kinda want to put my arm around her but I have no clue if she'd be okay with me doing that actually. I'll wait. I really don't want her to be upset and then I ruin everything.

We walk a little more with nothing coming out of our mouths. She starts to kick little rocks on the sidewalk onto the road. "Sooo…"  
I look over at her. "Sooo what?"

"Well, we went on this walk to get to know each other, right?" Rosanne asked.

"Yeah," I say. I feel like I'm ruining this badly.

"Well, we need to think of something to talk about," Rosanne said picked up a big rock from the ground and started to throw it up in the air.  
"Um, okay," I say. What in the world do you talk about with a girl as beautiful as her?!  
What do I talk about? I'm usually good when it comes to talking to girls but her, I just, I don't know. I can't think of anything!  
Rosanne keeps tossing that rock in the air. She eventually throws it out on the road and then it ended up hitting someone's car window and smashing the window open. Rosanne's eyes get huge and I start laughing. That was awesome.  
"Oh my gosh Dallas! I just smashed that window! Oh no!" Rosanne starts to freak out. There is a man inside that car. He leans down to look at us. It's Bob Sheldon. Rosanne starts to shake.

Bob comes out of the car and slowly walks to us. Rosanne and I back up from Bob until we hit a wooden fenced in gate.

"I'm so scared Dallas," Rosanne whispered to me.

"Oh, don't worry Rosanne," I say. "This is gonna get me warmed up for tonight."

Bob walks up to us against the gate. "We meet again, Rosanne? This time, you're with this trash instead of the other little punk."  
"Who you calling trash, bone head?" I say and shove Bob hard so he stumbles back.

When Bob gets back on his feet normally, he runs after me and tries to attack me. I grab Rosanne and push her so she has a head start to run. I would much rather have something happen to me, than to her.

We end up running into a dead end. I hope I don't have to kill Bob in front of Rosanne, but I will if that's what it takes to keep her safe.

Rosanne's POV:

Oh my gosh! I accidently broke Bob's car window! We had to run far but he keep following us. We are in a dead end and nowhere to escape. This is all my fault! Dallas and myself are gonna get hurt!

I stand back and Dallas walks up to Bob. Dallas has one of his arms out and that arm is in front of me. "If you want to get to Rose, you'll have to go through me first, but you're not gonna. You'll be dead before you can get through me."  
Bob runs to Dallas so he can attack him. Dallas grabbed him and flipped him before he could touch Dallas. Dallas gets on top of Bob and keeps punching him. "I dare you to mess with Rose or myself!" Dallas keeps punching him.

Bob grabs Dallas and shoves him off of him. Dallas hits the back of his head straight on the concrete and I saw a tiny bit of blood come out of his head.  
"Dallas! Are you okay?" I freak out.

"Trust me Rosanne, this is nothing compared to what I'm used to," Dallas said and jumped up.

Dallas shoved Bob into a wall and keep punching him repeatedly. "One more punch for the road!" Dallas punched Bob very hard and Bob went down to the ground.

"Oh my gosh he's dead, I think he just died!" I say.

Dallas goes down to Bob and listens for a heartbeat. "Nah, he's still alive. Just knocked out."  
Dallas gets up and walks to me. "He's alive. Don't worry. He'll be up and running around soon. I had to protect you."

"Thank you Dallas for protecting me," I say. "Are you alright though?"

"Yeah, that was barely any blood. I'm perfectly fine," Dallas said.  
Well I do know one thing for sure. I do feel safe around Dallas.


	9. Chapter 9

Dallas's POV:

I just got done beating up Bob. I would do anything to keep Rosanne safe. I know Rosanne is scared right now still. I put my arm around her and she looks up at me with a smile. She leans in closer to me.  
"I feel safe around you," she said. That's the first time anyone said that to me.  
"Well I want you to be safe," I say.  
Rosanne and I walk around town a little bit more. My arm is still around her. I'm actually surprised that she hasn't made me take my arm off her yet.  
I look around and see a dance club. Maybe Rosanne would like to dance a little bit?  
"Hey Rosanne, wanna go inside the dance club?" I asked her.  
Rosanne turns her head to look at the building. "Sure, why not?"  
Rosanne and I walk to the building. I take my arm off of her and open the door for her and let her go in first. She looks up at me and smiles. I smile back at her. I know we are gonna have a great time tonight.

Rosanne's POV:

Wow, that's the first time Dallas opened the door for me. He's been acting so nice to me- I love it!  
We walk inside the club. We see so many happy couples dancing around, I guess that Dallas and I will blend right in.  
Dallas puts his arms around my waist and puts his head close to mine so that our noses are touching. "Shall we dance, Rosanne?"  
"We shall," I say back.  
I honestly don't even know what to think anymore. I know I like Johnny, and I know I like Dallas. I don't know who I like more. I am okay with kissing Johnny, but I don't know if I'm okay with kissing Dallas, not gonna try it.  
Dallas and I walk to the dance floor and we start to move our feet. Dallas grabs my hand and puts it in the air so he can spin me around. I let him spin me around and then he leans back and I follow. He leans back up and lift me up in the air. I'm not gonna lie, being in the air was scary…

Everyone in the club circles us and watches us dance and some of the couples cheer us on. Then a light went over us. Spotlight? Wow.

I move over and stand next to Dallas. Dallas took one of his arms and put it behind me. He took his other arm and put it in front of me. I grab his hand in front of me and Dallas twirls me around. Dallas and I still have our hands connected and we walk around the dance floor with our feet moving side to side. Dallas keeps spinning me around with my arm. I go next to Dallas with our hands still connected and we keep kicking our feet in and out. I am having so much fun!  
The song ended and everyone cheered for us at the end. Dally and I have a huge smile on our faces. That was a lot of fun and would for sure dance with Dallas again.

"Dallas that was so much fun!" I say with a huge smile.

"Haha, yeah I had a lot of fun too," Dallas said. "We should do that more often."  
"Sure," I say.

A slow song starts to play over the speakers. All the couples went together and started to slow dance with each other. Dallas and I looked at each other with wide eyes. Should we slow dance?

"Do you want to slow dance?" Dallas asked.

I look around. I mean, what could happen? Dallas and I are just friends right now, and Johnny and I are still friends.

"Why not," I say.

Dallas and I walk to each other. He puts his arms around my hips and I put my arms around his neck. Our bodies are not touching though. Dallas and I start to slowly dance. Dallas slowly pushes me closer into him. I don't mind right now. I put my head on his shoulder.

The club is now closed. Dallas puts his arm around me and we walk out of the building and it was pitch black outside. What time is it!? And I think Dallas is late for the big fight downtown.  
"Dallas, I think you're late for the fight downtown," I say.

Dallas looks down at me with his big brown eyes. "Ah, who cares. You're more important than a fight."  
I smile huge. I can't believe Dallas is skipping the whole fight just to be with me.

"Are you sure?" I ask. "You LOVE fighting!"

"Well, I love you-," Dallas said before he cut himself off.

My face turns bright red. "Wait, what?"

"Nevermind," Dallas said and looked down.  
"No, no, no," I say. "It's okay."

Dallas looks up. "I probably just messed everything up."

"No you didn't," I say. "It's fine Dallas, trust me."

"You sure? You're not mad at me?" Dallas asked.

"I'm sure, and I'm not mad at you," I say.  
"Good," Dallas said.  
Dallas put his arm around me and we walk away. I really need time to think, maybe talk to Ponyboy about all this.

We've been walking around and talking, we eventually are very close to home. We see someone walking around in a pretty royal blue dress. Dallas turns his head toward her direction. "Dang girl."

I look up at him.  
"Dang she's looking super hot in that dress," Dallas says quietly.

I look up at him and get angry. I throw his arm off me. "What in the world Dallas Winston?!"  
Dallas doesn't answer me, he's still checking out the girl in the royal blue dress. "Hello? Dallas Winston? You there? How could you?"  
The girl in the royal blue dress is out of sight.

"That hottie looks like Cherry Valance," Dallas said. "She's smokin' hot."

"Do I not exist?" I say while waving my hand in his face. "Why Dallas? I thought you really did love me and were trying to get me to be your girlfriend."

"Well, you did say we were just friends," he said.  
"For now!" I start to raise my voice. "You know what Dallas, I was actually thinking about choosing you, but you just blew it!"  
I walked toward the house. I open up the door and slam it behind me. I look up to see that Darry, Ponyboy and Johnny were in the living room.  
"How was hanging out with Dallas?" Ponyboy asked.  
"I hate him so much," I mumble underneath my breath.

"I told you Rosanne!" Darry rose up from the seat he's sitting in. "I told you that-."

"I KNOW! SHUT UP!" I yell and stomp off.

Dallas, you blew your chance. I want a loyal guy, not a guy to go around checking out other girls and saying they're hot.


	10. Chapter 10

Dallas's POV:

I just ruined everything.. Rosanne was gonna choose me but I had to say something about Cherry Valance. Gosh, I am such an idiot! There is no way she is gonna want me back, no matter what I do.

I look around outside in the darkness. I don't know what to do. Saying sorry means nothing… I really ruined everything.

I kick down a garbage can and sit myself down on the grass. I am so mad at myself. I can't do anything right. I just hope Rosanne changes her mind, or didn't mean what she said.  
I lay down in the grass and close my eyes, wishing this was just a dream. Then I hear someone walk outside and walk to me. I look up and see Darry.

"Dallas, wake up!" Darry said loudly in my face.

"I wasn't sleeping," I say.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face around this house," Darry said.  
"What are you talking about?" I ask.

Darry grabs me and picks me up from the ground. "So, you tried all night to get Rosanne to be your girlfriend, then you decided to check out someone else right in front of her? You're not at all loyal to her. She deserves a lot better than you."

Darry then slaps me in the face hard to where I fell down to the ground. I look up at Darry and get angry. I jump up and run towards Darry. Darry then grabs me and flips me over. "I wouldn't mess with me, or I will kill you."

Darry walked inside the house and shut the door and locks it. Great. Now everyone in the gang is gonna hate me. Well, I guess I deserve it. Well, I guess Johnny is gonna date Rosanne, I know that you'll treat her so much better than I ever would.

The Next Day

Rosanne's POV:

I wake up. Still bummed out about last night. I was having such a great night and then he just had to check out Cherry Valance or whatever her name is. I need to get my mind off of this.

I jump out of bed and I'm a little nervous. Probably just scared of Dallas. I hope he don't hurt me, Johnny, or anyone.

I walk out of the room I was in and look around. I see Johnny walk to the kitchen. Well that's great, he's actually the only person I really want to see right now.

I walk to Johnny and hug him from behind. I feel him put his hands on my hands. "Good morning."

"Mornin' Johnny," I say.

I let go of Johnny and he faces me. "You okay Rose?"

I sigh. I didn't tell him about what Dallas did last night. Darry walked to me last night and I told him, then he apparently beaten Dallas up.

"Not really," I say.

"What's wrong?" asked Johnny.

Should I tell Johnny? Will it be weird for me to say that Dallas checked out another girl and I got mad? I got mad because that shows me that Dallas wouldn't be loyal to me. Eh, what do I got to lose. I'll tell Johnny.

"Last night, Dallas and I were having a fun time hanging out, and then right before we walked inside, he checked out Cherry, and he keep saying things how she is smoking hot and stuff like that," I say and look down.

Johnny's concerned look went away and he looked angry. "Wow.. Just wow Rosanne."

The way he just said that is kinda scaring me. Is he mad at Dallas, or mad at me for getting mad about Dallas checking out a gir?

"Dallas keep saying he loved you, and would do anything to have you, and nearly killed me for you…," Johnny said. "He says and does all that, just to go chase after Cherry. Rosanne, you deserve so much better than him."

I keep looking down. I should have listened to Darry and should have not hung out with Dallas…  
"Thanks Johnny," I say. I look up. "I need to get my mind off it and I'll feel better. Maybe a walk will help me."

"Whatever makes you happy," Johnny said.

"Okay, I'll be back," I say and walk out of the house.

When I go outside, I see Dallas sleeping on the lawn. I stop walking and go very quiet. Don't make a sound Rosanne… Don't make a single sound.. Don't wake up Dallas…

I go back inside and walk to the back door.  
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked.

"Dallas is in the front and I want to avoid him," I say and walk out to the back.

I jump over the gate and walk far from home to get my mind off things. I just hope I don't run into Bob. If I do, I will be dead.

I walk over to DX and see Sodapop working outside. I might as well talk to him. I walk over to Sodapop. "How's it goin' Soda?"

Sodapop looks up at me and smiles. "Heya Rosanne!"

I smile and run over to him. Sodapop gives me a hug. "So, what brought you here?"

"Oh, I just needed to get out of the house and I ended up walking here, and thought might as well visit you."  
"Nice," Sodapop says. "So, I heard what happened with you and Dallas."

My smile went away. "Please don't mention his name.. He's the reason I'm on this walk, to forget about what happened."

"I'm sorry," Sodapop said. "But now you know that he isn't right for you. You wanted to see if you liked Johnny or Dallas more, and I think we both know who you like more. Now you don't have to feel bad for choosing someone, or Johnny I should say."

"You're right Sodapop," I say. "Thanks."

I look over and see someone walk out of the phonebooth connected to DX. The guy's face looked so familiar. Oh, who is he?  
"See you later, Sodapop," said the familiar dude.

"See ya, Colin," Sodapop said. "Hey Rosanne, you remember Colin?"

Colin! That's right! He was an old friend of mine in school before he moved away! "Hi Colin!"

"Hey Rosanne," Colin said. "Haven't seen you in a very long time, how are things?"

"Fine," I say.  
"I hate to cut this short, but I gotta get going or I'll be late to my job," Colin said.  
"It's fine, I understand," I say.  
"Hey Rosanne, I forgot to tell you but I invited Colin over after work, so yeah," Sodapop said.

"That's okay," I say.

Colin walks away and I stay in place.  
"You like him?" Sodapop asked.  
"No," I say. "He was a good friend, it'd be weird. I like Johnny and only Johnny."

"Alright," Sodapop said.

I slowly start to walk away. "Well I'll let you finish your job for the day. I'm gonna go home. See ya Sodapop."

"See ya, be careful," Sodapop said.  
It was so weird to see Colin. I guess it'll be fun to have him over tonight and become good friends again.

Later

Ponyboy, Johnny and myself are sitting on the couch just chatting away. Then, Dallas walks inside the door. Ponyboy and Johnny totally helped me get my mind off of Dallas and what happened last night, and now he's back on my mind.

Dallas looked right at me in the eyes with anger. I look away and act like I didn't even see him. Johnny and Ponyboy are staring at him.

A few seconds later, Sodapop, Steve, and and Colin walk inside the house. I hope Dallas doesn't make a fuss.

I look up. Sodapop introduces everyone to Colin.

"Who exactly is he?" Johnny asked me.  
"An old friend of Sodapop and mine," I say. "Him and I are only friends and will only be friends."

Johnny smiled when I said that.  
I walk over to Colin. I see that Dallas is in the kitchen just watching. I look away and try to ignore him.

"Man, you look a ton like Sodapop," Colin said.

"Thanks," I say. "I mean, him and I did come out on the same day," I say and then chuckle.  
Colin goes in for a hug and I hug him back. Then, I heard running toward our direction. Dallas then jumps on top of Colin and attacks him.  
"Don't touch Rosanne!" Dallas screamed at him.  
Sodapop grabs Dallas and got him on off of Colin. "What is wrong with you Dallas?"

"Let me go!" Dallas screamed.  
Dallas somehow got out of Sodapop's arms and went back to attacking Colin. He keep punching him in the face.

Sodapop and Steve both grabbed Dallas and I went and helped Colin up.

"Come on Colin, let's get you away from here," I say. "Come with me Ponyboy and Johnny."

We all go outside and Ponyboy shuts the door behind us.

"What a chaotic zoo in there," Ponyboy said.  
"You got that right," Johnny said.

Colin looks at me with a disgusted look. "Are, you two dating?"

I wave my hands back and forth while saying no. "Him and I are just fri- not even friends. I'm mad at him."  
"That's good," Colin said. "I'm gonna go home now. I came at a bad time, maybe we all of us can meet up and hang out, just don't bring the psychopath."

"That works," I say.  
Colin walks away.

"Wonder why the heck Dallas wanted to kill Colin," Johnny said.

"Jealousy," I say. "Because I said I'll never date him." Johnny's eyes get big and he tried not to smile. "I guess when he saw Colin and I hug, he got mad, and jealous and lost control of his anger."  
"Does that mean if you and Johnny date, he'll lose it with Johnny?" Ponyboy asked.

"I mean he already kinda did," Johnny said. "I'm still scared of him."  
"Well, he won't hurt you as long as everyone else is around," I say. "Come on, let's go grab some ice cream or something."

Later

Johnny's POV:

So Rose says that she isn't gonna choose Dallas. So does that mean she'll chose me? I know for a fact I'd treat Rose so much better.

Ponyboy, Rose, and myself are sitting down at a restaurant. We all ordered and have our food. Rose seems much happier now that she's with us. Kinda wish Ponyboy wasn't here so it'd seem like I'm on a date with Rose.

"I'm gonna go use the restroom, be right back," Ponyboy said and slid out of the booth. Well, I got my wish.

Rose keeps on eating. I'm glad to see that she is happy right now, and not scared. Dallas and I haven't even spoke to each other ever since he put the knife up to me.

Rose and I keep eating until we heard a few people came in. We look over to see that Bob, Randy, and a few other guys walked in. Rose's eyes get huge and she looks away. I try to keep eye contact from them.

Bob, Randy, and the others were looking around until they saw us. They walk over to us.

"Man, we keep running into you guys," Randy said.

"Now you're with this one," Bob said. "Why do you keep switching from this punk to the other?"  
Rose and I don't say anything. I just hope that Ponyboy doesn't come around just yet.

"Any of you two gonna answer?" asked one of the guys.

"You know, it's okay if they don't answer," says Bob.

Then, Bob takes Rose's drinks and chucks it at her. They guys laugh while Rose has her head down. I look up at the guys with an angry look.

"My eyes are stinging!" Rose said loudly with her eyes closed.

I get up from my seat. "Why did you do that to her?"  
"I don't have to answer that, buddy," Bob said and shoved me.  
Rose rubs her eyes and saw Bob shove me. "Look buddy, I know you hate us, but is it necessary to go around and hurt us, perhaps even try to kill us?"  
"The world would be a better place if you guys weren't here," Bob said and took Rose's food and poured it down her shirt.

I look over at Rose and then back at Bob and them. "That's it." I kick Bob down. I punch Randy multiple times and kick him down. I go down and continue to punch them both, while the other guys go running.

"Johnny, please stop!" Rose yelled from behind.  
Then Ponyboy and a few other people pick me up from beating up Bob and Randy.  
"I come out of the restroom and all of a sudden I see you beating up Bob and Randy, what in the world happened while I was in there?" Ponyboy asked.

I watch Bob and Randy leave. "They're just lucky I didn't pull my knife out. No one messes with Rose."  
"Wait, what did they do to Anne?" Ponyboy asked.

Rose looks up at us and she lifts her shirt out and lets the food fall out. "Does this answer ya?"

"I believe so," Ponyboy said.

Rose gets up from the booth. "I think we should get out of here."

"Alright," I say.

I put my arm around Rose and we walk out. Ponyboy follows behind us. I wish Bob and Randy would leave us alone.

Later

Rosanne's POV:

So yeah, I got my drink thrown in my face, and my food poured down my shirt earlier. My face was so wet and sticky and I didn't appreciate salt and other things going down my body…

Anyway it is just Johnny and I at the lot. We are looking up at the sky and relaxing.

"Hey Johnny," I say.

"Yes?"

"I just want to say thanks for helping me out earlier," I say.

"Oh, you're welcome Rose," Johnny said. "It wasn't nice, nor fair on what they did and they deserved it."  
I smile. "Yeah."

I think I'm ready to chose Johnny. I definitely don't want to date Dallas, and I do want to date Johnny. If Dallas gives us crap for us dating, oh well. Dallas would be dumb to hurt one of us, especially me, Darry will kill him. Literally.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day

Rosanne's POV:

I lay in bed while everyone is awake doing their thing. I just think about everything that happened last night. I appreciate Johnny sticking up for me. When we got home, I just broke down crying my eyes out. From Dallas, to the incident with Bob and Randy. I am sick and tired of constantly running into Bob and Randy! It's like they're watching me.

I sit up and stretch. I love Johnny. I need to eventually tell him. I know he's just anxiously waiting for the day! There is no way I would ever date Dallas. He'd end up cheating on me, and I will not stand for that!

I get up and walk to the kitchen. I don't see Johnny anywhere, and same with Ponyboy. Wonder where those two are?

I make myself a little breakfast, nothing too much. I don't have much of an appetite.

While eating, Dallas walks inside. I stare at him with fear because him and I are alone in this house. Oh Ponyboy please come in! Save your sister!

"Hey there," Dallas says.

I look up at him without an expression. "Hey."

"Look, Rosanne listen. I'm sorry!" Dallas says.

"Sorry doesn't fix anything Dallas! It's like breaking a plate and then saying sorry to that, it doesn't work," I say.

"But I really mean it! I wanna make it up to you, please Rosanne, please," Dallas said.

I glare at him. "We'll see."

I sit up and walk out the back door and slam it behind me. Am I being too mean to Dallas? Ugh, my good heart always wanting to give more chances. I mean, I shouldn't get too mad for him checking out a girl, we aren't dating. But the fact he said he'd try to be nice and change, but didn't. You know what, I'll forgive Dallas. But I'm not gonna date him. I choose Johnny.

Dallas's POV:

There is nothing I can do to have her forgive me. Nothing. I'm such an idiot. I wish I could go back in time and make sure I never have done anything. Rosanne would be my girlfriend if it weren't for Cherry.

Everyone in the gang hates me, especially Darry, and now Johnny is terrified of me. In fact, he hasn't even spoke to me since I almost killed him. I need to fix my relationship with everyone. Soon, I believe that I will be kicked out of this place. I can't afford to be homeless. Also, I don't want this! I don't want the gang hating me, I don't want the only two people I care about to hate me, or fear me. Ugh. What am I gonna do..?

I sit down on the couch and set my head back and close my eyes. Usually I don't care, but I feel like a total jerk right now.

~

Ponyboy's POV:

Johnny and I are sitting in the front yard just speaking. We're just talking about last night. Poor Anne. I've never seen her cry like that. From the whole Dallas thing, to the restaurant incident. She slept in pretty late, and usually when she does that, she's feeling down.

"Do you think Rose is up?" Johnny asked.

"Not sure," I say.

"It breaks my heart to see her cry that hard," Johnny said.

"I know, and she's a tough cookie," I say.

"You know what," Johnny says. Johnny stands up "I'm gonna see if she's okay. She probably wants to see me. But first…"

Johnny walks around and looks for something. He spots a blue rose in a bush. He picks it out and puts it in his jean jacket. I smile.

"Her favorite flower is a rose, specifically a blue one," Johnny says.

Johnny smiles and walks away to inside the house.

~

Johnny's POV:

I walk inside the house with Rose's favorite flower. I have a smile on my face. I can't wait to give her the rose. She needs something good in her life. I can't wait to see her smile again.

I look around the living room. Completely empty, except Dallas on the couch. I freeze, hoping he doesn't realize I'm in here.

Dallas lifts his head up and opens his eyes. He stares at me. I don't say anything. I look around and try to leave the room without making it even more awkward as it is already.

Dallas clears his throat. "Yo Johnny."

My eyes get big. I start shaking. "H-Hey, D-D-Dallas…"

"Look, before you start running away and freaking out, I need to talk to you. I'm not gonna hurt you. Trust me," Dallas said.

"How can I trust you?" I ask.

Dallas rolls his eyes. He pulls out his knife and puts it on the table, along with his feet. "Look, I'm sorry for wanting to kill you the other day. I.. I.. I feel bad for everything. Also, you deserve Rosanne. That sweet, beautiful innocent girl deserves someone who will treat her like a queen. I'm not the guy to do that. I tried to change for her, but I failed. I'll never be the nice guy girls want."

I look at Dallas. "You really mean that Dal?"

"Yes," Dallas said. He looks up at me. "Can we be buddies again?"

I don't answer. I'm just testing to see how much he wants to be buddies again.

"Also, if you and Rosanne become a couple, I will try not to get mad, and I won't get into the middle of you two," Dallas adds on.

I smile. "Okay… Buddy."

Dallas smiles and stands up from the couch and high fives me.

"Good. I don't have to worry about that," Dallas said. "Have you seen Rosanne today?"

"No I haven't. The reason I came in here was to check up on her," I say. I need to give her the rose.

I walk to the kitchen where the purple tulip is. I put the blue rose in the same vase so that it doesn't die just yet. From the corner of my eye, I see Dallas watching me put the rose in water.

"You got her a blue rose I see," Dallas said.

"Yeah, I was gonna surprise her with it. Blue roses are her favorite," I said.

"That's… great," Dallas said.

"Yeah," I say. "I'm gonna see if Rose is in her room."

I start to walk but then Dallas jumps in front of me to block my way. "She's not there!"

"How would you know?" I ask.

"I..," Dallas said then he looks away.

"You what?" I ask.

Dallas looks around and sighed. "I walked in, and she was in here by herself, looking depressed. I came in to talk to her but she was still boiling mad at me and she ran out the back door and I haven't seen her since then."

"When did this happen?" I ask.

"Hmm. About 10 to 15 minutes ago," Dallas said.

"Ugh, she could be anywhere in Tulsa by now," I said.

"Come on, it's Rosanne," Dallas said. "She'll realize she misses you and come back to talk to you. She'll be back within an hour. She can't stay upset for too long."

"You're right," I say. Rose and I haven't talked at all today, she'll be back soon. She's worth waiting for.

Dallas and I sit down and wait for her. While waiting, we just talk about Rose. Dallas told me about their "date". It does sound like they had a great time, but to be honest I'm actually glad Dallas ruined the night. I'm sure Rose made up her mind now.

An hour passes, Rose is not home. I start to worry a little bit. She has to be on her way home, she just has to!

"Do you think she's okay?" I ask Dallas.

"She's on her way home. She probably stopped at DX for a little bit," Dallas said.

"You're probably right," I say. "She always stops by there."

Another hour passed and she never came home. I'm starting to think something bad has happened to her.

Sodapop and Steve walk inside the door, but without Rose! Maybe she was with them earlier. She can't be out still, the sun is going down, and she is always home by sun down. Rose has to be coming home now…

"Hey guys," I say.

"Sup," Sodapop says and puts his work hat up.

Steve goes straight to the shower. His face was covered in oil.

"Hey, have you by any chance seen Rose today?" I ask.

"No she didn't stop by today which was odd," Sodapop said. My eyes get big. "Why are you asking? Is she not here?"

I look down. "I haven't seen her at all today."

Dallas is quite.

Sodapop looks at Dallas. "Have you seen her?"

"Earlier," Dallas said.

Darry walks in. "Sup guys."

"Where did she go Dallas?" Sodapop raised his voice.

"I dunno," Dallas said.

"Dallas…," Sodapop said. "Where… Did… Rosanne go?"

"I just said I don't know! She walked out the back door and hasn't came back," Dallas said with anger rising. "Now stop bugging me you're getting on my nerves!"

"What's going on?" Darry asked.

"Rose is gone!" I said.

Ponyboy walks out of the room. "Did I just hear that Anne is gone?"

"Guys she'll be back home within this hour," Dallas said. "We know she's always home before dark."

"My kid sister has been gone all day and no one has done NOTHING to see if she's even alive?!" Darry yelled.

"We've just been waiting," Dallas said.

"Waiting for Rosanne won't figure out if she's dead or not!" Darry said.

Ponyboy's face went from a smile to fear. "We have to find her now!"

"Oh my goodness man, how many times do I-," Dallas said until Darry went over to him and picked him up from his shirt with one hand.

"I think you know more about what happened then you're saying," Darry said in his face.

"I'm telling all that I know," Dallas said.

"Sure, Darry said. "We'll go with that excuse."

"I'm telling the truth!" Dallas said.

Sodapop steps in closer to everyone. "Maybe Dallas did something to Rosanne out of anger since she said she don't want to date him?"

"Did you kill her Dallas?!" Darry screamed.

"No!" Dallas said. "I know I've made a mistake for checking out Cherry, but it's my fault. I'm angry at myself, not Rosanne. I understand that she's mad at me."

Darry drops Dallas down on the couch. "I've got my eye on you." Darry walks to his room and shuts his door.

"Plus…," Dallas says. "If I kill anyone from this situation, it would be myself."


End file.
